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Chapter 18: Party Crashers

"Tell me why I have to do this again?" Natsu groaned for the umpteenth time that day.

Since he now had to babysit Lucy all day, she had decided to do everything possible to make his life as miserable as she could. The most effective way of doing this was shopping.

Not only was it immensely boring for him, but Lucy was making Natsu carry all her shopping bags. Moreover, he could not turn into a dragon to carry them, so his human form was barely able to carry all the heavy bags.

"Because there's a party tonight, and I want to make sure I have everything I need." Lucy said as she looked through dresses. She pulled out a red one from the rack and held it up to Mira and Levy, who had accompanied them on their shopping trip.

They also happened to make Natsu carry their bags as well.

"What do you think of this one, guys?" Lucy asked.

Mira nodded, "That looks great."

"Red always has looked pretty on you." Levy put in, then held up a black dress and looked hopefully between her friends, "What do you think?"

"Yeah, yeah, it looks great, so can we just do something else?" Natsu muttered hopefully.

Lucy shrugged and exchanged a mischievous look with her friends, "Well, I'm not for sure yet, so let's look at a few more."

Natsu wanted to turn into a dragon and eat her right then. She's doing this on purpose!

"Hey, guys!"

They paused as Lisanna and Elfman walked up. The girl smiled and looked over the collection of shopping bags in Natsu's arms with a giggle, "Wow, you've been busy. Well, Layla wants Natsu and Lucy to come see her right now, so I brought Elfman to carry your stuff."

Her brother stopped dead and flashed a horrified look at her, "You what?!"

Natsu forced the shopping bags onto Elfman with a grunt of relief, "Thanks, big guy. Good luck."

Lucy frowned, "Hold on, what does she want me for?"

Lisanna shrugged, "Layla said she only needs help with something. I think it was about preparing stuff for the party."

Lucy's eyes brightened at the mention of the party, and her friends exchanged little giggles of mischief, so she said cheerfully, "'Kay, then I'll be there after I finish buying my stuff!"

Natsu grunted and followed Lisanna out of the shopping area. He rolled his shoulders with a mutter, "Jeez, human females are so weird…Why do they need so much stuff?"

"It's just the way they are." Lisanna explained, "That's like asking why drakes are so competitive. It's just natural."

Natsu rolled his eyes and gazed at her expectantly, "So, what does the great High Priestess want from me now?"

Lisanna did her best to reply casually, "Oh, she, Lucy, and I are going to teach you and Gajeel how to dance."

Natsu blinked. He processed that for a few moments and stopped mid-step. When he stared at Lisanna again, he had a frown on his face, "Could you say that again? I thought you said you were-"

"-Gonna teach you to dance?" she finished with a smile, "Well, that's what we're going to do."

He held his hands up, "Oh, no. No, no, no. Turning human and having to guard a human is one thing, but dancing-"

"Oh, relax!" Lisanna laughed, "It's not that complicated, and we're only going to teach you the easy stuff. Lucy and the others seem to want to make you and Gajeel look like idiots tonight at the party, so Layla thought it might be good to teach you a little to surprise them."

Natsu arched an eyebrow and smirked, "And how did she hear about that?"

"I may have mentioned it to her." she said innocently.

"Well, either way, thanks for the save." he murmured gratefully.

Lisanna bit back a smile, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Uh-huh." Natsu grinned, but she didn't say anything and just led him away.

/

"Right, so let's get started." Layla said.

They were in the ballroom of Layla's mansion, where she, Lucy, and Lisanna were attempting to teach Natsu and Gajeel to dance. Mira and Levy were there as well, watching from one end of the room.

Lucy's happy expression faded instantly when her mother told her what the idea was, "What?!"

"Oh, don't be that way. It'll only be for a short time. We'll just teach them something simple so they don't feel completely inept when everyone dances at the party." Layla told her daughter.

Lucy pouted, probably because her plans of humiliating Natsu and Gajeel had just been ruined, but she sighed and obeyed her mother. She walked up to Natsu first and held her hands out unhappily, "Right, take my hands."

Natsu reached out and touched her hands, but Lucy flinched with surprise, "W-wow, your hands are really warm."

He rolled his eyes, "I am a Fire Drake, you know. Heat is just part of who I am."

"So I noticed." Lucy said dryly, but took his hands again and started to lead him in a basic stepping pattern, "So, it's two steps forward, one step back…yeah, just like that."

Natsu looked bored, "What's the purpose of this again?"

Layla smiled at him, "Humans celebrate in different ways than dragons. We like being close to one another- it's just in our nature to do so. Dancing is great fun once you learn how."

"Uh-huh…" Gajeel yawned and sat down, leaning against the wall with a mutter, "I'm gonna take a nap. Tell me how it goes."

"Gajeel, come here. You're learning too."

The black-haired teen opened his eyes and stared at Layla, who had a hand held out to him. His voice had disbelief etched into it, "You cannot be serious."

"Come on." she prompted.

Gajeel sighed and got up, then walked over with a glance at Natsu, trying to imitate what he was doing in silence.

After a few minutes of trying to dance with the newbies (And stepping on Layla and Lucy's feet multiple times) the blondes pulled away and took a break, but unfortunately for Natsu and Gajeel, they weren't so lucky.

"Alright, someone take over for us." Layla said, glancing expectantly at the watching bystanders.

Mira waved her hands, "No thank you. They're not my type."

Lucy sweat dropped, "Mira, no one's asking you to go out with them. Though I can't imagine anyone would ever want that."

"We're standing right here, y'know…" Natsu muttered.

Lisanna sighed, "Oh, fine. If you're all going to be that way, then I'll help."

Mira blinked in surprise, "Wait, are you serious?"

"Yup." her sister said, then walked over to Natsu and offered her hands to him.

Lucy stared after her, "What's gotten into you?"

Lisanna glanced over her shoulder, "Well, Layla asked us to help them out, so that's what I'm doing."

"I guess so…" Levy seemed to consider, then got up and walked to Gajeel, "Alright, I'll help you out a little."

Gajeel arched an eyebrow, "'Little' is right."

Levy pouted and spun around, "On second thought-"

"Oi, shrimp, I was just joking." he chuckled, "Don't take it all so personal."

She spun on her heels and glared at him, "My name is Levy. L-E-V-Y."

Gajeel shrugged, "Sure, shrimp. Whatever you say."

Levy huffed and offered her hands with a mutter, "I can't believe I'm doing this. I'm being way too nice to you."

Layla smiled at their cooperation and sat down by a piano in the back of the room, then started to play a slow, simple song.

Natsu, meanwhile, was trying to avoid stepping on Lisanna's toes as much as he had Lucy's. After a minute or so, he seemed to get the hang of it and was able to match her step for step.

Lisanna smiled brightly, "See? You can learn."

Natsu grinned, but Lucy wasn't as impressed, "That's the easiest dance there is, of course he can learn it. I dare him to learn something that's actually really hard."

He rolled his eyes, "Didn't you say the point of dancing was to have a good time? I'm not gonna bother with super-hard stuff."

"He makes an excellent point, Lucy." Layla chuckled.

Lucy puffed up a cheek, "Well…maybe. It doesn't mean I have to like him."

Natsu ignored her and focused on trying to remain in-step with Lisanna. While Gajeel and Levy were still adjusting to the height difference, Natsu and Lisanna had easily gotten in sync with each other. They were standing pretty close, maybe a little closer than normal, but no one seemed to notice.

Lisanna found herself in the one place she couldn't escape from: those dark, piercing eyes. They made her heartbeat pick up and her breath became short.

Natsu had his gaze fixed on her, a slight frown on his face, like he wasn't sure what to do even though he was dancing with her easily enough. Gradually, his steps became a little hesitant, until he was just shuffling his feet to keep himself moving.

Near the end of the song Layla was playing, Lisanna stopped dancing altogether and took a step closer to him, leaning up slightly so they were face to face. Natsu just stared back as she shifted closer, uncertain as to what she was…

Layla hit the last key a little harder than normal, making everyone jump. The blonde woman offered an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry, I think my hand slipped."

Lisanna blinked, then suddenly realized with a rush of heat that she was way, way too close to Natsu and pulled back instantly. She dipped her head awkwardly, "E-excuse me. I'm thirsty, so I'll go get a drink now."

She walked out of the room hurriedly, not another word leaving her mouth. Natsu stared after her with confusion, but he felt eyes on him, so he glanced back and saw Layla with an eyebrow arched.

Layla had hit the key hard on purpose so they would separate.

Mira and Levy hadn't noticed. Gajeel seemed to be ignorant of the whole thing, but he mouthed to Natsu when no one else was looking. Dumbass!

But that wasn't the end of it. Natsu looked at Lucy and saw her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open. He bristled uneasily. She'd seen the way he and Lisanna had been.

Layla coughed and nodded at everyone in the room, "Right, well it's about time the party started, so go help everyone set it all up. I'll be out shortly."

The others left the room, then Layla sighed and went to the kitchen.

/

Lisanna was hunched over a sink, cupping water and dousing her face with it. Her breath still hadn't settled down, courtesy of her quickened heartbeat. She looked up at the mirror and pouted when she found her cheeks were still red. That was the one thing she didn't like about being human- her emotions just wrote themselves all over her face and wouldn't go away.

The door opened behind her and Layla walked in with a calm look. Lisanna wiped her face with a towel and turned to face her, smiling weakly, "Hi."

"You don't seem well." Layla murmured, concern in her eyes, "What's bothering you, Lisanna?"

The white-haired girl shuffled her feet slightly and looked down, "I-it's nothing. I think I was just thirsty, is all."

Layla smiled at her, "You can tell me the truth, Lisanna. I looked through Natsu's memories yesterday, remember? I know you've met him before."

Lisanna stared at her in alarm and gulped, "S-so?"

"So, nothing." Layla said gently, "I don't intend to tell anyone. I've been trying to change the Thunders for years now, even though my attempts have all been shunned."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Oh, Lisanna, aren't you as entitled to love someone as much as the Thunder leaders?"

Lisanna's cheeks flushed that irritating pink again, causing her to stammer, "I-I don't- I'm not! I didn't plan on Natsu coming here! I was going to turn him in!"

"Yet you seemed truly happy in Natsu's memories." Layla pointed out, "I do not judge you, Lisanna. You never set out to betray your friends or betray Natsu, but you must control your feelings around him. They will be your undoing if you do not."

"What feelings?" Lisanna muttered, "I don't feel that way about him. I can't, you know that."

"Yes, you can." Layla took the girl's hands and smiled, "You already do, even if it's just been a short while. It started in your waterfall cave."

Lisanna pulled her hands free and rubbed her arm self-consciously, "Please don't look through my memories without asking."

"Forgive me." Layla murmured, "But I'm simply saying that change is inevitable. The Thunders will change one day, so that every dragon may have a partner of their own. Somehow, I think Natsu will help make the leaders think differently. He's influential, like his father was. But I don't think he can do it alone. Do your best to support him. Until then, try and hide your feelings. You must settle for stolen moments when no one is watching, understand?"

Lisanna frowned, "I-I have to go…I need some fresh air…"

Layla let her go, but called once the girl reached the door, "It can end well, Lisanna. No matter what you've thought before, Natsu has the power to change everything in the Thunders beyond your or my wildest dreams."

Lisanna paused at that, then hurried out without looking back.

Layla smiled as the young dragonelle left, closing her eyes softly. Natsu…you can change the dragons living on this continent, starting with Lisanna. I know you can.

/\/\/\/\/\

A few hours later, when the sky had grown dark, the party in Magnolia began.

It was set up in a large park with cherry-blossom trees, where people walked around and chatted, ate, and danced happily. Everyone was having a great time.

Well, almost everyone.

Natsu had been trying to ditch Lucy for nearly an hour, but at last, she caught him and dragged the boy into a dancing crowd where he couldn't escape.

He growled at her, "What do you want?"

Lucy stared at him, "What was that back there with you and Lisanna?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." he said lamely.

Lucy puffed up a cheek indignantly, "Stupid, she tried to kiss you. That's not something she's ever done before, and the very last person- or dragon- I would expect her to kiss is you. Explain yourself."

Natsu glared at her, "What do you want me to say? And what the hell is a kiss?"

Lucy gaped at him, "You are the most clueless person I have ever met."

Before he could snap a reply, she glanced around and pointed at two people who were locked at the lips, "That's a kiss."

Natsu stared at the people and frowned, "What the hell, are they trying to eat each other or something? Should we stop them?"

Lucy's cheek puffed up again, but this time with laughter, "Pufu! No, no, no! That's supposed to be romantic! It means they love each other!"

"That's a weird way to say you love someone." Natsu managed, still trying to figure out how the two people were kissing. Are they GLUED to each other, or something?

"It's a human thing. What do dragons do?"

"Excuse me?"

"How do you…prove to someone that you love them?" Lucy asked curiously, "You clearly don't kiss, so what would a dragon like you do?"

Natsu looked up at the sky, "I'd go up there."

Lucy also looked skyward and frowned, "The moon?"

Now Natsu laughed, "Yes, I'd fly to the moon and back. Silly, I'd just fly up until I couldn't go any farther."

"Wow. Then what?"

Natsu closed his eyes and murmured quietly, "I'd fall."

Lucy stared at him, "Fall? From way up there?"

He nodded and stared up intensely at the dark sky, which was lit up by stars, "Yeah. It's called a skyfall. I guess…it's the dragon way of swearing their life to their partner."

"That sounds…" Lucy shrugged wonderingly, "I can't decide if it sounds crazy or amazing. Falling from all the way up there…when do you stop?"

"Just before we touch the ground."

"Isn't that scary, though?" she asked, wide-eyed.

Natsu shook his head, "No. It's the ultimate way of saying you trust your partner. That you would fall from way up there with another dragon and wait until the last second to pull away…it takes real courage and feelings to do that."

Lucy stared at him with a curious gleam, "That's sounds like you'd literally be falling in love."

Natsu raised an eyebrow, "Even for a human, you're pretty weird."

"Well, you're pretty weird too. I mean, you look exactly like Dragion, which is…kinda creepy." She offered a hesitant smile, "But you're a lot different from him. You're more of a troublemaker."

"You're not looking through my memories right now, are you?" Natsu muttered.

Lucy shook her head, "No, I'm not. You'd be able to tell. The only one who can get away with doing that is my mom because she's so good."

"Good at snooping through my memories." he growled, "I felt violated."

Lucy giggled, "Well, Soul Searching has that effect. It's what we call looking through memories. So, back to the main topic: Why was Lisanna trying to kiss you?"

Natsu sighed, "How should I know?"

"Well, she clearly likes you, but I just don't understand why." Lucy persisted, "I mean, you've known each other for like what, a day? Lisanna's not THAT gullible."

"You can bother me with this for as long as you want, but I don't know." he muttered.

Lucy wasn't satisfied, so she tried a different angle, "Do you like her?"

Natsu's eye twitched, just briefly, but his hesitation brought a gasp to Lucy, "You do! But isn't that forbidden in the Thunders? I though it was just leaders who could have mates…you're breaking the rules!"

"Rules are just a suggestion." Natsu grunted, then looked away, "Besides, it's none of your business what I do."

Lucy pulled his face back to stare him in the eye fiercely, "Yes, it is. Lisanna is my friend. I don't want you getting her into trouble, so stay away from her."

Natsu bristled and bared his fangs, "I have to babysit you, I don't have to take orders from you."

"I'll tell Makarov if you don't." she warned, "You're already in enough trouble as it is. You should be smart and stop feeling that way about her."

Natsu stared at her with anger burning in his eyes for a moment, then he grabbed her wrist and dragged her away from the crowd to a nearby building. Lucy struggled in his grip, but gasped when he shoved her up against the wall and hissed, "Let's get something straight here, little princess. I was born wild and I'll stay wild, one way or another. And that means that no one can stop me from feeling the way I want to. The Thunder's laws have no meaning to me, got it?! If I want to care about Lisanna, then I'll care about her. It's that simple."

Lucy's gaze went from a slight fear to coldness, "So, what's stopping you from eating me? It's not your feelings, that's for sure."

Natsu hesitated, then snapped in frustration, "I…ugh!"

Lucy sighed and crossed her arms, "You know, for a moment back there, I almost thought we were getting along, but I guess you're just going to stay a jerk, huh?"

He looked away and opened his mouth to answer, but he was interrupted.

"L-Lucy?"

Dragion was behind them, staring in shock.

Natsu rolled his eyes, "Oh, don't get so scared. She was just saying how much she hates my guts, alright?"

"Wh-what?" he stammered.

Natsu walked past him, thumping his shoulder with a hand as he did so, "She's all yours, kid. Go suck on her mouth, or whatever that weird kissing thing is you humans do. Maybe it'll shut her up long enough for my headache to go away."

If he'd waited just a moment longer, Natsu would've seen Dragion's face turn the same color as his hair.

Lucy called after him, "Hey, where are you going? You're supposed to be my bodyguard!"

"I'm obligated to keep you in the daytime." Natsu growled back, "Pretty boy can handle you at night."

The wording again made Dragion blush further, but Lucy just shook her head, "Honestly…"

"U-um, Lucy? Y-your mom w-wants you at the square…th-they're about to shoot the fireworks…"

Lucy nodded, "Okay, I'm coming."

/

Natsu walked off, muttering under his breath. She thinks she can tell me what to do?! Not if I have anything to say about it!

He was so frustrated and annoyed that he didn't even notice someone standing in front of him until he accidentally walked into them.

"Oh, hey! Sorry about that." he apologized.

"That's okay, I…uh…"

Natsu blinked and realized the person he'd run into was Lisanna. She was staring back with surprise and a slight trace of discomfort.

Of course it would be her he ran into. It couldn't be just some random person, could it?

Lisanna clasped her hands behind her back and looked away, "Oh, hi, Natsu. Are you having a good time?"

"It's…okay, I guess." he muttered, "Lucy was being a real pain earlier."

Lisanna frowned, "You should try getting along with her more. She's one of my friends and I know sometimes she can be a bit nosy, but that's just the writer part of her. She doesn't mean any harm by it and she's a great person once you get to know her."

"That depends on what her nosy bit finds out." Natsu said quietly, "Believe me, she already made it clear that you're her friend."

Lisanna blinked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Let's see…'She's my friend, so stay away from her.' That's what the conversation pretty much added up to." Natsu growled irritably.

She stared at him in surprise, "Really? Why would she say that?"

Natsu shrugged, "I don't know. Lucy's weird, even for a human."

"But that doesn't…oh." Lisanna's eyes widened a little, "D-did she see something back in the mansion?"

"I guess so." he muttered.

Lisanna swallowed uneasily, "What did you say?"

"I…" Natsu started, but paused when something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He glanced to the side and saw someone in a dark cloak slipping through the crowd.

Natsu's eyes narrowed. There was something about that figure his instincts didn't like.

"Natsu?" Lisanna said uncertainly.

He blinked and looked back at her, then clasped one of her hands awkwardly, "Yeah, I'm gonna go check on something really quick okay? Just give me a minute and I'll get back with you."

Natsu darted off after the cloaked figure, but Lisanna called after him in protest, "Natsu!"

He kept following the shady person, making sure he was out of sight. The figure kept brushing past the other people and seemed to know exactly where it was going. Natsu couldn't see any part of its body, which was something he found suspicious. No other humans were dressed like that.

"Natsu, what are you doing?" Lisanna had followed him.

He held up a finger to his lips, "Shh. Something's not right."

The figure led them to the town square, where a group of people were gathered by the Heartfilias and some guys about to light fireworks. The shady person paused briefly at the sight, then quickened its pace slightly as it weaved through the crowd towards the Heartfilias. Natsu saw something flash under its sleeve.

He bristled at the sight. He knew what the flashing was. A blade.

This guy was an assassin.

Natsu almost lunged straight after him, but when the crowd raised their hands and cheered to something Layla said, the figure raised its other hand and flicked its fingers.

A signal? he wondered, then noticed something on a rooftop nearby.

The object in question was moving slowly, silently, and appeared to be stalking the Heartfilias. On a gut feeling, Natsu glanced at the other rooftop on the opposite side of the square and saw another creature. They were huge, easily as big as a rhino, and looked like a panther had grown the head of a pit bull. He didn't know what they were, but he did not think they were here to party.

But they looked ready to spring on the Heartfilias from above.

Natsu knew what he had to do. I'm gonna get in so much trouble for this, he thought.

Lisanna prodded his shoulder, "What's wrong?"

"You should get down right now." he muttered.

She blinked, "What-eek!"

Natsu's body exploded in flames as he reverted to his dragon form, roaring furiously above the din of the party. Every body in the crowd cringed except for the assassin and the two predatory creatures, who lunged anyways.

The Flame Drake leaped over the crowd and caught one of the creatures midair with snapping jaws, making it squeal briefly before he crunched down and killed it. Natsu threw it aside with a snarl and poised his body over the Heartfilias, glaring at the assassin on the ground. The man hesitated and took a few steps back.

People were screaming at this point, but Natsu's snarling turned into a yelp as the other creature leaped onto his back and tried to bite into his neck. Whatever it was, its jaws were incredibly powerful.

Natsu snarled in rage and twisted his head to snap it off, but the creature let go of his neck and clamped its jaws onto his throat as he came down. Now the Flame Drake let out a strangled bellow of pain, shaking his head furiously to get it off. His tail accidentally slammed into a building, knocking it over with a loud crashing sound.

Oops.

The assassin on the ground seized the chance and lunged for the Heartfilias again, the knife in its hands aimed for Layla or Lucy. Natsu couldn't tell who he was trying to kill, but in a last-ditch effort, he reared up on two legs and roared as loudly as he could, making every human double over and clap their hands over their ears. The predator biting on his throat let go with a yelp of pain, shaking its head midair to clear the titanic bellow from its ears. It twisted to land on its feet like a cat.

Natsu didn't even let it finish the twist. Halfway through the move, his huge clawed foot came down and crushed the monster into a stain on the street.

The assassin was just a few feet away from the Heartfilias now, but Natsu used the momentum of his fall to snap his head forward like a snake and bite the man's upper body fiercely. He was about to crunch down and rip the assassin in half when Layla shouted, "Natsu, don't kill him!"

Natsu barely stopped himself, and instead spat the man out to pin him with his claws. The assassin was groaning in pain as Natsu leaned down to his face and snarled furiously, saliva and blood dripping from his curved fangs.

The crowd was in shock, until Jude barked, "Get the guards over here, now! Take this man into custody!"

Guards rushed forward and immediately put the man in handcuffs as Natsu let him up with a warning growl.

"Natsu!"

The Flame Drake glanced over his shoulder as Erza ran up with Gray, Mira, and Elfman right behind her. Her eyes were wide as she processed the scene, "What happened?!"

Layla motioned to the one predator Natsu hadn't completely destroyed, "Assassins. Natsu caught them before they could do anything, though. We were very lucky."

Lucy was pale and seemed stunned, something which made Natsu snort in triumph. Yeah, you don't think I'm a total jerk now, do ya?

Erza knelt down by the dead monster and frowned, "This is a hellhound…but…there was only one assassin?"

Jude nodded, "Just the one Natsu quite nearly bit in half."

But Erza started looking around with intense eyes, "That's not possible. Only one hellhound will listen to only one person and there are two here…"

Natsu heard a twanging sound and bristled, suddenly realizing what Erza meant. He quickly moved again and planted himself over the Heartfilias, then staggered and grunted as a stabbing pain entered his side.

"Natsu!" Layla gasped.

Nearly blind in pain and rage, Natsu spun his head towards the direction of the arrow and saw a figure on a rooftop fleeing the scene. He let out an enraged roar and breathed a river of flame out, blasting the rooftops with its intense heat. As the flames died, he saw the figure's cloak was on fire, but it leaped away and disappeared.

Natsu snarled in frustration, then staggered away from the Heartfilias and collapsed to the ground, gasping from the burning pain in his side.

The others rushed up and scanned his injuries. Erza frowned at the arrow, which was almost buried in Natsu's belly scales, and muttered, "We must pull this out."

Layla glanced at Mira and Elfman to give them instructions, "One of you must hurry to Porlysuca's cavern and tell her to get herbs ready. The other must must take our guard and search every inch of the city for the other assassin."

"No need for that."

Everyone looked up as a huge Iron Dragon flew down and landed in the square. The other assassin was trapped in his huge claws, and appeared to be unconscious. Gajeel bared his fangs in a grin, "Gee-hee. Salamander, you made a real mess."

While Mira and Elfman took off to go find Porlysuca, Gray was staring at the crushed remains of the hellhound and swallowed, "Shit man, do you always fight like that?"

"Scared?" Natsu ground out through gritted teeth as Erza gripped the arrow in her gauntleted hands, then yanked hard and pulled it out. He snarled and tensed up, then let out a long hiss of pain.

Gray rolled his eyes and muttered, "Big baby." But he nodded and seemed genuinely respectful for once.

Lisanna came over and set her hand on his jaw. She had a worried look, but smiled at him, "You saved them. Thank you."

Natsu blinked in response, still in too much pain to dare open his mouth.

"Are you all right?" Layla asked as she walked up with Lucy and Jude behind her.

The Flame Drake grunted affirmative, but hissed as Erza touched the arrow wound with her hand and brought some of his blood up to sniff.

She frowned, "I think that arrow was poisoned, but it's only enough to kill a human. You'll feel sick for a while, but you'll live."

Layla knelt down by Natsu's head and looked over the bite wound on his throat, "We must clean those wounds. Hellhounds are known for infectious bites."

Natsu lifted his head with a growl and shook himself as he stood up. Erza touched his leg and called in protest, "Natsu, stop moving! You'll spread the poison inside your body!"

"I'm fine!" he snapped, then grunted and collapsed as Gajeel slammed an iron fist into the back of his head, knocking the Flame Drake unconscious. The others stared up at Gajeel in shock.

The Iron Drake growled unsympathetically, "It's for your own good, you stupid flame."